Wire-stretcher



C. S. SHIPPEN. WIRE STRETCHER. APPLICATION FILED APR. 16, 1919.

1,349,108. Patented Aug. 10,1920.

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Charles 5. Ship E11 C. S. SHIPPEN.

WIRE STRETCHEB.

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WIRE-STRETCI-IER.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Aug. 10, 1920.

Application filed April 16, 1919. Serial No. 290,437.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES S. SHIPPEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Tipperary, in the county of Fremont and State of Wyoming, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wire- Stretchers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to wire stretchers, and more particularly to a device for stretching wire fence strands taut in building a fence.

In building barbed wire fences, there is always more or less difficulty in getting a uniform tension or tightness upon the various wires forming the fence, owing to the fact that as each additional wire is stretched, and secured to the braced post or corner post, the additional stress of each wire fastened causes the post to give a little more so that by the time the third or fourth wire is stretched and attached to the post, the post has yielded or given sufficiently to slacken the first wire stretched and in building a four or five wire fence, it is often necessary to pull the staples on the first and second wires and restretch them. This operation requires considerable time, as each wire is nailed securely at the braced post to prevent any slipping thereof and also in loosening the wire from the post, the strands thereof are often broken.

An object of this invention is to provide a wire stretcher, which will pull or stretch the wire from a point between two braced posts, pulling the wire from both directions and winding the fiat wire upon a spool, where it is retained, by a pair of pins which are inserted through openings formed in the flanges of the spool near the periphery thereof, for maintaining the wire taut, then after all of the wires of the fence have been properly stretched they may be nailed or stapled to the post and all be maintained at a uniform tautness.

Other objects of the invention will appear from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, forming .a part of this specification and in which drawings:

Figure 1 is a top plan of the improved wire stretcher showing it applied.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the wire stretcher, showing parts thereof in section.

Fi 3 is a fragmentary horizontal sec tion through the wire stretcher.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section through the wire carrying or receiving spool of the wire stretcher, prior to the winding of any flat wire thereon, and Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4:, showing the flat wire wound upon the spool and retained in place by the locking pin. Referring more particularly to the drawmgs, 1 indicates the wire receiving spool of the stretcher, which is provided with the usual type of core 2 and flanged ends 3. The core 2 is provided with a central longitudinal bore of polygonal shape, and receives therethrough the main shaft 4 of the stretcher. This shaft at is polygonal in cross section and has a head 5 upon one end thereof, to limit its insertion through the stretching mechanism and the spool 1. The shaft 4 extends through the hub 6 of ratchets 7 and 8 one of which is positioned upon each end of the spool 1. The hub of the ratchets 7 and 8 is elongated and forms bearings for the arms 9 and 10 of a lever 12 and the arms 13 and 14 of a lever 15. The arms 9 and 10 are positioned outwardly of the ratchets 7 and 8, while the arms 13 and 14. are positioned inwardly thereof, as clearly shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings. The levers 12 and 15 are relatively long, rocking upon the hub of the ratchet-sas pivots and they project beyond the hub of the pivots providing extensions 16. Spring pressed pawls 17 are pivotally carried by the extensions 16 of the various arms and these pawls engage the peripheral teeth of the ratchet. For instance, the pawl 17 which is carried by the extension 16 of the arm 9 engages the teeth of the ratchets 7 at a point upon the opposite side of the axis of the ratchet from the point of engagement of the pawl 17 carried by the extension 16 of the arm 13 with the said ratchet, as clearly shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, while the pawl 17 carried by the extension 16 of the arms 10 and 14: engage the peripheral teeth of the ratchet 8 at points upon opposite sides of the axis of the said ratchet, whereby upon pivotal movement of either of the levers 12 or 15, the ratchets 7 and 8 will be rotated for rotating the shaft 4 and consequently the spool 1.

The core 2 of the spool 1 is provided with enlargements 18 thereon which carry a. pin 19. The pin 19 is spaced from the pberiphery of the core 2, as clearly shown in ig. 4 of the drawings, and in constructing a wire fence, the fence wire strand indicated at A.

is threaded through the space between the pin 19 and the core 2. When the spool 1 is rotated by the pivotal movement of either of the levers 12 or 15', the wire A will be wound about the core 2 of the spool-1 as shown in Figs. 3 and 5 of the drawings, thereby stretching the wire and permitting the provision of any degree of tautness of the wire desired. After the wire has been properly stretched, pins 20 and 21 are 1nserted through the openings 22 nearest the portions of the wire A which extends in each direction from the spool, thus the tautness of the wire will bind against the pins 20 and 21 securely holding the pins in place and also holding the wires against unwinding action upon the spool 1. After the pins have been placed, the shaft 4: is removed or driven out of the spool 1 and also out of the ratchet means and bearing enlargements upon the arms 10 and 1 1 and a new spool is positioned upon the shaft, to permit the stretching of a subsequent wire. After all of the wires of the fence have'been properly stretched, they may be nailed or stapled to the braced post, and the liability of the yielding of the post under added stress which would tend to slacken any one of the wires will be eliminated. The spools 1 may be made of cast iron or any other cheap material, and may be left attached to the wire strand, and thus if at any future time, it becomes necessary to-restretch the wire, the stretcher structure including the levers 12 and 15 and ratchets 7 and 8 may be con nected to the spools and the wire stretched as desired.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the drawings, it will be apparent that the improved wire stretcher will not pin or bind the wire in such manner as to rupture the same, or in any way tend to weaken it, as is ordinary in the construction of wire stretchers commonly in use.

Changes in details may be made withoutv departing from the spirit of this invention, but;

I claim:

1. In a wire stretcher, a spool having a non-circular axial bore, a shaft detachably .mounted in the bore and conforming in cross sectional configuration thereto, a transverse pin carried through the ends of the spool in spaced relation to the periphery thereof for anchoring the intermediate portion of a wire strand to thespool, ratchet wheels detachably fitted to the opposite ends of the shaft for turningthe same, reciprocating leverspivotally mounted upon the hubs of the ratchet wheels to turn thereon independently of the ratchet wheels and the shaft, pawls pivoted upon the levers for interlockmg engagement with the ratchet wheels to advance the same in one direction upon movement of the levers, said ratchet wheels, levers, and shaft being adapted to be removed from the spool, and pins ad ustably carried in the spool adjacent the-peripheral edges of the flanges thereof for retaining a wire strand in wound position upon the spool.

2. In a wire stretcher, the combination, of a spool, a pin carried by the spool and spaced from the core thereof, the wire to be stretched adapted to be threaded between said pin and core, and extending in both d1- rections from the spool, a polygonal shaft extending through said spool, ratchets mounted upon said shaft, levers pivotally carried by the hubs of said ratchets, and pawls carried by said levers and engaging said ratchets for rotating said spools upon pivotal movement of the lever.

3. In a wire stretcher, the combination, of a spool, a pin carried by the spool and spaced from the core thereof, the wire to be stretched adapted to be threaded between said pin and core, and extending in both directions from the spool, a polygonal shaft extending through said spool, ratchets mounted'upon'said shaft, levers pivotally carried by the hubs of said ratchets, pawls carried by said levers and engaging said ratchets for rotating said spoolsupon pivotal movement of the lever, said spool including end flanges provided with a plurality of circumferentially spaced openings near their peripheries, and pins adapted to be inserted through certain of said openings for engagement with said wire upon each side of the core to prevent unwinding of the wirefrom said core.

4;. In a wire stretcher, the combination, of a spool, a pin carried by the spool and spaced from the core thereof, the wire to be stretched adapted to be threaded between said pin and core, and extending in both directions from the spool, a polygonal shaft extending through said spool, ratchets mounted upon said shaft, levers pivotally carried by the hubs of said ratchets, pawls carried by said levers and engaging said ratchets for rotating said spools upon pivotal movement of the lever, said spool including end flanges provided with a plurality of circumferentially spaced openings near their peripheries, and pins adapted to be inserted through certain of said openings for engagement with said wire upon each side of the core to prevent unwinding of the wire from said core, said shaft being detachably connected to said spool whereby the shaft, ratchet and levers may be disconnected from the spool. 

